Barons Bested by Generals, 7-3

In front of a sold out crowd at Regions Field, the Birmingham Barons (62-68) fell behind early and were never able to recover as they fell 7-3 to the Jackson Generals (71-60) for their second straight loss on Saturday night.

• Moments That Mattered: In the bottom of the first inning, Trey Michalczewski drove in Joel Booker from third base on an RBI single, cutting the Jackson lead to 4-1. Shortly after, Alex Call hit an RBI single which scored Luis Basabe from third base, cutting the Generals' lead in half at 4-2. In the bottom of the eighth inning with runners on first and second, Matt Rose hit an RBI single which scored Mitch Roman and made the score 7-3 Generals, but the Barons would get no closer.
• Facts And Figures: Both Booker and Mendick recorded multi-hit games in the loss. The Regions Field sellout of 8,500 was the Barons' fifth of the season, and 45th overall in the six-year history of the ballpark. The Barons still lead the Southern League in attendance with an average of 5,778 heading into play on Saturday.
• Turning Point: In the top of the fifth inning, with the score 4-2, the Generals' Rudy Flores hit his 16th home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right field wall, making the score 6-2 and sealing the Barons fate.
• By The Numbers: In his first start as a Baron, Felix Paulino (L, 0-1) struggled from the start. He pitched 5.0 innings, allowed six hits, struck out three, and gave up six runs, two earned. Ian Clarkin came in in relief and pitched 3.0 innings, struck out three, allowed one run on three hits. Matt Foster also pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts.
• Up Next: The Barons and the Generals will play game three of the series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch set for 3 p.m. Left-hander Matt Tomshaw (5-7, 5.62) will get the start for the Barons, while Taylor Widener (5-6, 2.66) gets the nod for the Generals. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.